The Winter Prince
by The Servant of the Stars
Summary: Nine months after the death of Mother Nature, Jack Frost still hasn't moved on. When the embodiment of death presents a choice, Jack takes it. Will the Guardians find a way to bring Jack back to his normal self, or will the world suffer in an eternal winter? (Part 2 of the Unseen Conflict) {Jack/OC}
1. Prologue

The Darkness Within

 **by Joyfulelf**

 _"Now, Ludovic, just because your mother and I are going to be busy with your little brother or sister, it does not mean that we are ignoring you. You will love your little sibling, and I know that you will be an excellent older brother. The father spoke to his five-year-old son._

 _Ludovic nodded, a nervous, but determined smile lighting up his face. He looked at his father, who could almost always be seen wearing his royal blue and gold armor. But his father was always busy, especially since he was a general. Ludovic certainly determined that he wanted to be just like his father when he grew up._

 _Ludo stood up straight and brushed away a piece of Raven black hair that fell from the small ponytail. He straitened the deep purple shirt he wore and gave a courageous grin._

 _The father and son patiently waited outside the bedroom, anticipating any news about the newest member of the family._

 _The physician stepped outside the room, a pleasant smile on his face. "General Kozmotis," He nodded. "Lady Aloria has delivered a healthy baby girl. She is ready for you two at any time."_

 _Kozmotis smiled at Ludovic. "Are you ready to see your little sister, Ludo?"_

 _Ludovic returned the smile. "Yes, Papa."_

 _The two stepped inside the room, immediately seeing an exhausted mother propped up with many pillows. In her arms she held a tiny bundle of purple blankets._

 _"Say hello to little Terra." Aloria smiled, showing the baby to her family. The little girl quietly fussed._

 _Kozmotis took up his daughter in his arms and beamed brightly. He motioned for Ludovic to come over. Kozmotis knelt to let Ludo see._

 _"Hi, Terra... I'm your big brother, Ludovic. I promise to take care of you as long as I live." Ludo determined with a smile._

 _"He's already a great big brother." Aloria whispered, looking at her son with great pride._

"As long as I live..." A young man with pale, almost grey skin sat hunched up in a cushy chair. He ran a hand through his faded black hair, pulling some of it from the tight ponytail he always kept his shoulder-length hair in.

"Excuse me, Sephtis- I mean, sir?" A timid Mold Being squeaked.

"Nothing, Iadel." Sephtis growled, still contemplating on how idiotic he could have been.

"O-oh, okay." Iadel whispered and returned to her clipboard.

"What were we speaking of?" Sephtis inquired, reclining back into the cushy chair and setting his feet on the tea table.

"U-um. We were discussing different ways to reclaim Earth."

Sephtis rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why aren't I discussing this with Kurse?"

"U-um. I believe you said it was because Kurse was keeping a close eye on the Winter Spirit."

A crooked smile made its way onto Sephtis's mouth. "Ah, yes. The Frost Spirit. And how is he doing?"

"I-I'm not sure, sir. Kurse hasn't returned yet." Iadel tucked a stray piece of her streaky grey and black hair. "I-I-I-if I may ask, sir, you seem to be different today. Is something wrong?"

"No, Iadel. I'm perfectly fine." Sephtis growled. He took a deep breath. "Have we spoke about how to get over the stuttering?"

"Yes sir, but I'm n-not sure why you would c-care about my problems with nervousness when you have other m-major things to think-k about."

"My people come first, Iadel. Now...what have you accomplished so far today?"

Iadel returned to her clipboard. "I managed to gain statistics of how fast the Season Spritis are trying to usher in Winter."

"And...?"

"It's not going well for the Season Spirits. The Frost Spirit spends most of his time mourning."

Sephtis scoffed. "Very useles, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes sir. As for the Guardians themselves, they've grown accustomed to not having the Frost Spirit around. The Night-"

"Do not mention my dad, Iadel." Sephtis growled under his breath.

"Y-yes sir... My apologies." Iadel squeaked. "If you want more information on the Frost Spirit, you would have to ask Kurse.

"There's nothing to ask about. Your suspicions have been proved. My work for now is done." Kurse walked into the reading room of the mansion, a smug grin set on his face.

"Excellent... It's time to put those powers to use." Sephtis grinned evilly.

A teenaged boy sat amongst the group, staring hatefully at the cold cup of hot chocolate. He was a white haired teenager wearing a dark blue hoodie and tan trousers that ended just above his ankles. The others around him consisted of a tall man with a white beard and hair, a girl with iridescent wings and multicolored feathers that covered her whole body, a large, grey rabbit with an Australian accent, and a silent, short man who occasionally could be seen with little pictures made of gold sand hovering over head.

The four occasionally glanced back at their friend, looking at him with worried expressions. The boy just stared off into space, memories of a girl running through his mind.

The teenager finally rose from his chair and shuffled over to a near window. He plopped down, put the hoodie over his head, and stared out the window.

"Jack..." The tall man with a white beard and hair spoke with a Russian accent. He held something in his hands.

It was a Russian nesting doll. The doll depicted a girl with long, black hair, emerald green eyes, and a shy look on her face. The man in red set the doll in front of Jack.

"What's this?" Jack snapped, glaring at the doll.

"You tell me." The man said kindly.

"It's Terra." Jack replied with hatred oozing in his tone. He picked up the nesting dolls and held them in his hands. "But Terra's gone and this isn't making me feel better."

"What does the doll represent, Jack?"

"I don't know, North! Terra's closed off behavior?!"

North patiently nodded. "And that's all you saw at first. But after a little while...?"

Jack took off the largest doll, showing the next underneath. It had a hurt and saddened expression, its black hair streaked with grey.

"Her vulnerability." Seeing the doll made Jack unexplainably sad. The sight seemed to break his angered act.

"But under that?"

Jack took off the next layer to reveal a smaller doll. It had a deter end expression, pillars of rock, blurbs of water, and what looked like gusts of wind at the bottom of the doll.

"Her perseverance." Jack smiled slightly at the doll.

"And yet..."

Jack took of the next layer. It was an even smaller doll. It held a hurt wolf pup that had its leg bandaged. The doll's expression showed a small smile, its emerald eyes filled with love.

"Her loving nature."

"But underneath all layers, you find?"

Jack revealed the smallest doll. It had a worried, yet determined expression.

"Her courage... That's her center."

"Terra died showing her courage. It was no mistake, and there was nothing you could do, Jack."

"But I could! I could've... I could've... It was all Sephtis's fault! He killed Terra! He deserves-"

"I deserve, what, Frost Spirit?" Sephtis appeared, leaning against a nearby wall. He appeared to be wearing fancier clothing than when Jack had last seen him. His black hair was neatly tucked into a small ponytail and his dark, fancier clothing was neat and pressed. A dark grey cloak hung from his shoulders and a tarnished chain was tucked into his shirt.

"You!" Jack's eyes went wide as he marched over to Sephtis. "You killed Terra in cold blood!" Jack held out a wood staff that if one looked close enough, you could see tiny flecks of green in between the minute cracks. This was from when Sephtis attempted to kill Jack by shattering the staff. Terra, before she died, gave up some of her life so that Jack could live. When Terra did this, it fixed the staff and let Jack live.

"As opposed to what? Warm blood? I'll have you know that I don't have any 'warm blood'. I _am_ the embodiment of death, after all." Sephtis smirked. "And as for you, _Jack Frost_ , it's been what? Nine months since Mother Nature died. How are the children of Burgess?"

Jack's expression showed guilt, though he still stared at Sephtis with hatred. Sephtis saw he had struck a chord and continued to press buttons.

"Oh, yes. I know everything. I know how you ignored the children of Burgess. I know how you promised Jamie to a day of fun, only to reject him. I know how you plan to confront my dad, only to make him suffer." Sephtis said everything with a twisted smile. "It's like you're not you at all."

"Jack. This isn't true, is it?" The girl with the wings (she went by 'the Tooth Fairy') flitted over to where Jack stood, facing Sephtis.

"This doesn't concern you guys." Jack growled.

The large grey bunny scoffed. "Doesn't concern us? I think it does! You ignored the kids in Burgess, and you didn't even tell us?"

"You guys don't understand."

"No, they don't, Jack. I don't think they ever will... They've never lost someone they loved. But _I_ know what that feels like. The hurt, the millions of questions running through your mind? I know _exactly_ how that feels." Sephtis spoke with sincerity.

Jack lowered the staff he held. "You...you do?"

Sephtis curtly nodded. "Of course. The only way to truly heal is by speaking to someone who understands. _I_ understand."

"Don't listen to him, Jack! He's lying!" Tooth cried out.

"You just don't want him to listen to me because I'm a villain." Sephtis feigned a hurt expression.

"You killed Terra! Why should anyone listen to you?!" The bunny snapped.

"You're all selfish! You'd rather have Jack suffer in misery than finally speak of what he feels?!"

"You...you don't care about me." Jack concluded, clenching his fists.

"No! Not true!" North objected.

"But it is... If the Guardians would have cared about you, they would have prevented Mother Nature's death in the first place."

"That means Terra's death...is all your fault!" Jack stared at his friends with extreme hate in his expression.

"No, Jack!" Tooth flitted over to Jacl and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Sephtis is-"

"Don't touch me." Jack growled. "I can't believe you guys."

"And to think, you're supposed to be the good people." Sephtis shook his head in disappointment. Before the Guardians could object, Sephtis and Jack had disappeared.


	2. Chapter 1

_The Darkness Within_

 _Chapter 1_

 ** _by Joyfulelf_**

 ** _Ten Months Since Mother Nature's Death_**

A thin teenager hummed monotonously as he wandered through the expansive ice castle. He held an staff in one had that was covered in patches of spiked ice and one end contianed a dangerously sharp, spike of metal. Fingerless gloves covered his place, white hands and dark cloth was wrapped from his wrists to his elbows. A light blue and dark blue shirt and pair of trousers were covered by one large blue cloak that kept part of his snow white haired covered. A similar cloth to what was wrapped around his arms covered most of his feet, only letting his toes to be seen.

His name was Jack Frost, though he preferred to be called The Winter Prince. He was calmly walking through the hallway in a ice castle located in Antartica.

The massive corridor as made out of solid ice. Any room that was seen was sectioned off my a solid block of ice that acted as a door. No windows to the outside were seen, giving every room in the castle a dark and mysterious atmosphere. In every room, stalagmites of ice reached as tall as the ceiling.

But one room in the menacing looking ice castle stood out from the rest. It was completely empty. No ice stalagmites invaded the room. The only thing that could be seen was a display case made of ice. Inside the display case was a broken wood staff that had ancient, otherworldly carvings that once glowed brightly. The teenager was walking to this room at the moment, something of which he had done every day for the past three months.

This time was different, however. This time the door to the nearly empty room was left ajar. Jack knew that he _never_ left the door to the room opened, even slightly.

He deftly spun around the staff in his hand, making the spear-like end to point out in front of him. He swept the door aside and quietly inched inside the room, being careful not to make a sound. A girl in dark apparel stood next to the display case, looking at the staff it held.

"I would think twice before invading my castle again." The Winter Prince threatened, holding the point of the staff close to the girl's neck.

"Oh, Jack..." The girl turned around. She had bright emerald eyes and long, black hair. "I didn't know you were sentimental..."

"Terra...?" Jack involuntarily dropped the staff. It landed on the floor with a clatter. Jack's expression showed surprise and sorrow, his brilliant blue eyes wide in astonishment.

"Nope!" The girl giggled, dropping her disguise. "I'm not some sob story who sacrifices herself for others. It was so interesting meeting your little-" The girl was cut off when Jack pointed the point of the staff at her throat once more.

"How do you get in here?" Jack growled the question.

"I have my ways. A little birdie told me that someone you loved has died."

"Who told you that? Sephtis?"

"Sephtis?" The girl giggled. "I don't affiliate with people who finish my dirty work. As for who _exactly_ told me, well... That's for me to know, and for you to figure out."

"What do you want?! And who are you?"

"So many questions!" The girl giggled. "You'd be so much cuter if you kept out of business that doesn't concern you." She flicked away her streaky, grey hair and smirked. "The name's Bellum. I have control over the dead and Daddy has control of the Underworld. You, you're just a Snow Queen."

"Winter Prince." Jack corrected.

"Whatever."

"Get. Out."

"But you haven't heard of what I have to say!"

"Out. Of. My. Castle."

"Whatever, Snow Queen. But if you need me, for anything, just call for me." Bellum shrugged, walking out of the room. "Goodbye, Snow Queen." She waved goodbye before disappearing.

"Winter Prince!" Jack yelled the reminder. He turned back to the display and placed one hand on the thin, see-through ice.

"Terra..." He sighed dejectedly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Jack wandered aimlessly through the corridor once more, staring off into the distance.

A loud thud followed by yet more thuds that gained in volume could be heard throughout the castle. The cacophonous noise was so loud now that it could be clearly heard in the corridor.

A large dragon made completely out of ice and was four men wide and five men tall, stormed into the corridor plopping down beside Jack once he had reached him.

"Glacies." Jack greeted with a nod. "Is Sephtis here?"

The dragon gave a low growl and nodded.

"We might as well go greet him." Jack determined.

Once Jack had reached the throne room, he stopped to look at it once more. A throne stood at one end of the room. The room itself was decorated with frost in fern-like patterns. Jack walked over to the throne and took a seat. Holding his staff in one hand, he rested his chin in his other hand.

"Very interesting." Sephtis complimented as he walked into the room. "Not a window to be seen... I like it."

"Sephtis." Jack nodded solemnly.

"You look different today, Jack... May sentiment be the problem?" Sephtis eyed Jack as he walked closer.

"No." Jack answered. _He can't know about me keeping Terra's staff..._

"Very well then. You've kept track of your ever growing control of the winter?"

"Of course."

"You seem more than capable."

"Then why visit me? I'm sure you have other things to worry about."

"You see, you say you're completely over the death of Mother Nature, but I can't help but think that...somehow...you've refused to recover from it."

"Are you doubting my ability to cope?" Jack furrowed his brow.

"Not at all." Sephtis gave a crooked smile.

"Good. What else do you want?"

"Have you been visited by anyone recently, Jack?"

Jack wondered if he should tell Sephtis of Bellum. "No." He decided.

"Interesting... I suppose I'm not needed here. And, Jack? You really should keep an eye on the Guardians. Who knows what they could be up to?" Sephtis wickedly grinned before exiting the room.


	3. Chapter 2

_The Darkness Within_

 _ **by Joyfulelf**_

Chapter 2

"What do we do now?" The Spirit of Autumn questioned as he shivered under the blanket he was given. He looked around him at the many other spirits who were bundled up in blankets and trying to warm themselves up with the warm bowls of soup in their hands.

"The Warren's frozen over. The Tooth Palace is frozen over. Just about everyone else's home is frozen over and covered in snow. It's freezing cold and we're forced to stay in this ice cube of a refugee's home. Could we do something else?" Cerelia, the Spirit of Spring said bitterly. "The least the _Winter Prince_ could do is to place us somewhere where it's warm, like Tahiti."

"It's not so magical anymore... Tahiti's supposed to be the warmest place on the earth. I can _feel_ how cold it is now." The Spirit of Summer said as she wrapped the two extra blankets tighter around her shoulders.

"And there's nothing here that we can do but suffer from what the _Winter Prince_ has done." Cerelia spat. "The Man in the Moon has gone crazy. He should have seen this coming and banished Frost when he had the chance."

"I don't think the Guardians would appreciate you thinking of banishing their friend..." The Spirit of Autumn (his name was August) said, not looking Cerelia in the eye.

"But it's true." Cerelia argued.

"But what about Nature? She wouldn't stand you speaking about _him_ like that." The Spirit of Summer shivered.

"Nature isn't here anymore because of _him_. It's _his_ fault."

"I...I don't want to talk about this anymore." The Spirit of Summer ended the conversation. "You _do_ know who turned Jack, right?"

"I don't want to think about Sephtis, Solstice." August stated, scenes of the embodiment of destruction flashing through his mind.

"Yeah, but what do we do? I mean, he could come here and force us to work for him. I don't want to do that..."

"Frost was and is emotionally unstable. He was a weak link. Sephtis just decided that Frost could be used. I don't think we need to worry." Cerelia folded her arms over her chest and glared around the room. The Guardians were seen helping several other spirits who just came out of the cold. They were each given blankets and a bowl of warm food. The Workshop was now a place for Spirits who had their homes frozen over. The yetis and elves would provide food for everyone and everyone played their part. It was an amazing thing to see.

"I hope Nightlight, Ombric, and Katherine are alright..." Solstice said.

"We're completely fine!" A girl with curly, auburn hair said as she stood beside the Season Spirits. "Cold, but fine." Beside the girl was a wise older man and a teenaged boy who was literally giving off a luminous glow.

"What do you guys think about the...change in weather?"

"It's certainly...different." The teenaged boy admitted.

"But there is no need to fear." The wise man said. Cerelia only scoffed.

"It may seem as if nothing can be worse..."

"But, I'm sure this it will only get better." The girl assured.

"We can only hope..." August and Solstice said in unison, dejectedly looking at the ground.

 **Bleh. This chapter is pretty boring. Sorry for the long break. Writer's block is the worst :P also, I changed the title because there's another story on Fanfiction with the same title**

 **Winteril: You have no idea how happy your reviews made me ^.^ that's so awesome**


	4. Chapter 3

_The Darkness Within_

 _ **by Joyfulelf**_

Chapter 3

Jack walked among the frozen and snow covered forest that once belonged to Mother Nature. Though it was rid of the mold that had overcome it, the forest had not had the chance to recover. Many places in the forest were dead and uninhabited, thus making the forest a silent, barren place.

To Jack, it was absolutely beautiful. As he walked among the forest, patterns and swirls of frost would cover the trees.

Though Jack normally stayed in his ice castle, the forest was one of the only places he visited off and on. Glaciers sauntered nearby, hopping over large clumps of fallen over trees. The dragon gave Jack a look of intrigue before running off, probably finding some large pile of snow to fall in.

Jack smirked, knowing the dragon to act like a puppy. He turned his attention to the only thing in the frozen wasteland that wasn't iced over. It was the ruins of an old castle that had long been deteriorating. Jack turned away for the castle, folding his arms over his chest.

He hated to admit it, but he was _bored._ He could do something, that was for sure, but that would require actually looking for something to do, and that was something Jack didn't want to concern him with. He needed something entertaining. Some sort of prank to play on someone else. Or just having fun someone. But no one wanted to even look at Jack. They all hated him...

Why couldn't they understand that this was the better plan for things. When he froze over the world, it completely stopped the seasons from coming. The only storms that were made were blizzards and snowstorms. No one ever talked about 'Mother Nature complete king her tasks'. That made Jack happy...

 _If only I wasn't so..._ No. He promised himself he wouldn't succumb to misery just because everyone hated him. It wasn't his fault if everyone hated the winter. It wasn't his fault that didn't appreciate all the things he had done for them. It wasn't his fault that the only person who understood him was long gone!

Out of rage, Jack threw his staff into the woods.

"Ow! What gives!?" A voice shrieked.

Jack rose an inquisitive eyebrow before wandering over to where the voice came from. Although he couldn't find the person who had yelled, he found a snow Sprite who stood, rubbing it's forehead.

"How did you get in here?" Jack frowned, knowing that almost anyone hated the forest.

"What do you mean 'how did I get in here'? I live here! Well, I did...and then Terra went away and the forest started dying and now what's left of my home is frozen." The sprite replied, much to Jack's surprise.

"You're made out of snow!"

"Only because I adapt to my surroundings! I need to be made out of flowers! This snow business isn't fun at all. Of course, Terra wouldn't think so either."

"You knew Terra?"

"Of course I knew Terra, you silly. I'm her means of communication and assistance."

"You seem to be replaced by an elk."

The snow Sprite stuck out her tongue. "Well, whoop-de-doo, I'm out of a job. Hey, were you the one who threw that stick at me?"

"No."

"You're a liar."

"Excuse me?! I'll have you know, I'm the Winter Prince!"

"Whoa, calm down, Snowflake. I was just kidding."

"It's Frost." Jack growled, ready to turn the a

Snow Sprite into an ice sculpture.

"Wait, you're Jack Frost? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The Sprite seemed genuine. "See, Terra really liked you. She wouldn't stop talking about how accepting you were, and how even though you annoyed her all the time, she still thought you were funny. I thought that was silly, because she hated your guts! Like if anyone mentioned Frost, you would actually see Terra tense up. Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"You're just getting on my nerves."

"Excuse me? If it's anyone who's getting on anyone's nerves, it's you! You froze my home! I have half a mind to take you stick and snap it in half!"

Jack growled. "I'd like to see you try."

"I don't think that's what Terra would want me to do, though."

"Shut up. You wouldn't know what Terra would want you to do! No one does, not even his sister!"

The Sprite shrunk away. "Please tell me Sephtis isn't here."

"He's not." Jack stated simply, his frown growing deeper.

"Oh good. Terra would've thrown a huge fit if Sephtis was here."

"Stop. Mentioning. Terra."

"Why do you care? It's just Terra! If you miss her so much, why not just go find her?"

"I can't. She's dead." Jack said with a scowl.

"Whatever. I'm gonna try to go find someplace warm. This place is freezing. Have your stick back." The Sprite stick the staff into the ground before trying to walk off. Jack reached out a hand, pointing his index finger at the Sprite. It turned into a blue, ice statue, frozen mid stride.

Jack then held out a hand, the staff quickly flying back to its owner and landing in Jack's hand. He whistled with his free hand and though it took a while, Glacies appeared next to Jack. The teenager and his dragon flew away, returning to the Ice Castle.

* * *

It was dinner time. Jack sat at the head of a long banquet table made out of ice. He sat with his feet on the table as he rocked in his chair. He picked at the food one of the abominable snowmen made for him and pursed his lips before looking at the other end of the room where Glacies lay, knowing on an extremely large drumstick of meat.

"I can sense when a person is in need of me." Bellum appeared in an chair. She sat on the chair so that she hung over one arm chair and her legs hung over the other.

"I might apologize for coming during your dinner. I must have terrible manners." Bellum smirked.

Jack stayed silent.

Bellum hummed. "This is much better. You're so nice when you're just silent." Bellum looked at Jack from upside down.

Jack replied with silence yet again.

"If you're going to stay silent, I might as well be on my way."

"I don't respond because I don't find the need." Jack finally spoke.

"He speaks." Bellum smirked. "Now," She snatched the potatoes off Jack's plate. "Blab."

"I just need a favor."

A twisted smile appeared on Bellum's face. "Well, if that's the case, then you'll need to do a few things first..."

 **Hi guys! I apologize for the semi-hiatus. School is bleh, life is bleh, writing is bleh. Well, maybe the last one's only partially true. I'm having trouble trying to make this story last more than ten chapters if you catch my drift. Let me know if you have any suggestions.**

 **For those who review, you really make my day. I just love it when I hear my tablet alert me of a new email telling you left a review. The same goes to people who favorite and follow! It's such an encouragement! You're all just so awesome!**

 **Well, see you in the next chapter! Don't forget to review!**

 **-** ** _Joyfulelf_**


	5. Chapter 4

_The Darkness Within_

Chapter 4

 ** _by Joyfulelf_**

"Why don't you go play with the kids outside, Sierra?" A woman observed a group of playing children through the window of the smaller house. "I'd think it'd help you make a few friends. Burgess is a nice town with nice people."

"They should out that on the atlases. And mom, all those kids are elementary/early junior high school kids." A girl with a highlighted brown hair complained, looking up from her efforts in sketching. "Besides. I'm completely down with the snow. It's been snowing non-stop from three months! You'd think...Jack Frost would give us some sort of break!"

The woman laughed. "Jack Frost? That's like how you believe in 'Mother Nature'. It's a figure of speech, Sierra. A sixteen-year-old believing in Mother Nature and Jack Frost. You're crazy."

"On the contrary, mother." Sierra replied.

"One of the kids out there looks really lonely. He's sitting all by himself. Maybe you could cheer him up." Sierra's mother suggested.

"With what? My intense introvertedness and inability to make friends? Yeah, that'll win him over." Sierra snorted, sarcasm present in her tone. But maybe the kid knew what happened to the weather to make it like this. Maybe he believed.

Sierra rose from the table where she sat at.

"A sudden change of mind?"

"Yeah, whatever." She shrugged, slipped on her shoes, and made her way into the snow.

"I _hate_ the snow." She muttered to herself, hurrying herself deeper into her coat. Sierra found the boy sitting dejectedly on a tree branch. He swung his legs back and forth and ignored the playful children below him.

"Hey kid!" Sierra called. "Mind if I join you?"

The boy seemed hesitant at first. "...Sure, I guess."

"Great." Sierra expertly scaled the tree and plopped down beside the boy. It had been forever since she had actually climbed a tree, but it was like second nature to her.

"First of all, the name's Sierra." Sierra introduced herself, rubbing the warmth into her long fingers.

"Jamie." Jamie answered, still staring at the vast, white, snow-covered land of Burgess.

"Mother Nature must be furious." Sierra voiced her thoughts.

Jamie scoffed. "Mother Nature doesn't exist."

"Jack Frost didn't exist. And yet, he was the one who solved the problem with the Boogeyman." Sierra pointed out.

Jamie's eyes grew wide. "You believe?! But you're-"

"Practically sixteen? I hear that a lot. I tend to be labeled 'insane' for doing so." Sierra shrugged. "I was hoping some people would actually understand, because of the extreme of snow, but I guess not. Something bad happened..."

"Something really back. Jack normally visits but one day, he disappeared. Then the snow, and... It's terrible." Jamie looked like he was about to break down.

"Hey, kid." Sierra offered a small smile. "Mother Nature will fix this. I have a feeling that she's marching up to Jack right now, saying 'Jack Frost! If you don't return my summer, I swear, there will be no place for you to hide'!"

Jamie lightly laughed. "Jack would just laugh and make more snow appear."

"And Nature would be even more infuriated. But, I think she actually appreciates the snow."

"She just doesn't admit it because Jack would get a big head." Jamie finished the thought.

"But you know who else would be completely angry?"

"The Easter Bunny." Jamie answered, nodding. "He absolutely hates the snow."

Sierra laughed. "And Santa Clause would be all like 'Oh, Bunny. It's not that bad."

"Actually," Jamie began, "He's not Santa Clause, he goes by North. And he doesn't have a deep voice, but he does have a Russian accent."

"Really? How do you know this?"

"I met him, and the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy! At the same time!"

"No way!" Sierra gaped. "Well, what're they like?"

Jamie proceeded to tell about how he came to meet the four legendary people. He told of how they were called the Guardians, and how they were enlisted to help children across the world.

"They're pretty awesome and I got to help them! That was when Jack was a Guardian..." And just like that, Jamie's loving, excited behavior had disappeared.

"Hey, Jamie. I bet the Guardians are working on bringing Jack back to what he used to be. It's only gonna require some work. I honk we have to believe that it can happen and we have to believe in Jack too." Sierra said, offering yet another kind smile. "'Kay?"

Jamie nodded and forced a smile.

"Now, I have to be going. My teacher gave me the longest homework assignment in the history of homework assignments." Sierra hopped down. "See you later, Jamie." She waved goodbye.

...

Sierra puffed out an annoyed breath. Who knew this much homework would completely fry a kid's brain?

She sighed, digging out one of her many sketchbooks. Inside were all drawing from places she had been to. Multiple pages were filled with drawings of forests. One drawing was of a forest, but it didn't look healthy and inviting. Instead it looked dead, and rotten. The way Sierra had drawn the picture, she could have sworn there were signs of some sort of building amongst the death and decay. It was only cruel fascination that had led her to draw such a picture.

The deeper Sierra got into the notebook, the more she had drawn about what she believes the Guardians homes looked like. They arranged from a variety of places, from the icey cold tundra to a busy metropolitan area.

She sighed once again. If only there were multiple people who believed in the Guardians. Would that solve everything? Was there something she could do? But she was only sixteen. The most she could do is build an army of snowmen. That wouldn't help anything.

Sierra groaned burying her face into her textbook. "I just can't sit here and wait!" She said, her voice muffled.

"Then we shan't wait any longer," A deep voice originating from one corner of Sierra's room said.

Sierra furrowed her brow. "I've gotta be tired."

"I'm afraid not, Sierra." The voice, along with its owner, appeared in beside Sierra. It was the boogeyman.

"H-how did you get in here!?" Sierra squealed, hiding behind her chair.

"I'm the King of Nightmares. The 'Monster under the Bed'. How could I not?"

"What do you want with me?" Sierra felt like a small child in from of the man clad in black.

"I've come to recruit you. I require your assistance, Sierra."

 **Suprise! I'm not dead! Just please don't hurt me because this chapter is somewhat short. Writer's Block is the worst and no Motivation made it terrible. I finally cranked this out though, and I'm excited to see what I'm gonna do with it!**

 **You can at least expect a new chapter in the upcoming next few days. I've been really busy though so hopefully by Wednesday or Friday. Thank you for those who haven't given up on me! Hopefully you're here reading this!**


	6. Chapter 5

The Darkness Within

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 _by Joyfulelf_

"And just _what_ do you want with me? I'm a human. You're...you're the Boogeyman!" Sierra blurted, still hiding behind her chair.

"I really don't care at this point." Pitch rolled his eyes, tucking his arms behind his back.

"But... But you kinda threatened to wipe off the Guardians from the face of the earth!" Sierra squeaked.

Pitch rolled his eyes once again, fiddling with his dark sand, "I do believe I need your help with something."

"But... But... But why me?! I'm only sixteen! I...I'm- Nuh-uh, no way! Since when have you needed a human's help, anyway?!" Sierra looked at Pitch with more fear than curiousity.

"Since my daughter has died and my son will not listen to a thing I say!" Pitch snapped and glared at the girl. She shrunk away, still hiding behind her chair. Pitch regained his composure and took a deep breath. He seated himself on a black sand chair. "I believe I have a proposition, Ms...?"

"Sierra." The girl answered, still hiding.

"Ms. Sierra. It involves Antartica."

"Antartica?!" The girl blurted. "Do you _know_ just how _far_ that is?!"

"Yes. I am very aware. Now will you please listen?!"

Sierra flinched, but slowly seated herself back into the chair. "First of all: Can I ask just why you're asking me for help? I mean, there's got to be people who embody the Seven Deadly Sins. You could just ask them."

"Trust me, I've already tried," Pitch rolled his eyes. "One must have the mind of a bug to speak on their level of understanding."

Sierra furrowed her brow at what the King of Nightmares was saying. So she was right. She wondered what other embodiments there were... "So what do you need help with?"

Pitch smirked at the girl's willingness. "Tomorrow. I will require you to gather several things before you can begin your journey to Antartica."

"Wait, journey? I'm not some Bilbo Baggins where I can just get up and leave on a moment's notice! I have school, and my parents will be severely worried if I just suddenly traveled in this deadly wilderness. I mean, I might die from the cold, and-" She stopped talking when Pitch was glaring at her. "I assume you already have an idea as to how I'm supposed to get to Antartica."

"You believe I'm not prepared already," Pitch rolled his eyes. He shook his head. "No, you will not to walk _to_ Antartica; only to walk _through_ it." Pitch held up a snow globe looking sphere. "You only need to whisper your destination, and step through the tiny little portal."

Sierra looked suspiciously at Pitch. "What exactly am I looking for?"

"All will be explained tomorrow." Pitch guaranteed with a smile. He swiftly disappeared as soon as he had appeared. Sierra let out a huff.

* * *

The next day, Sierra had gotten up bright and early in order to pack. She needed a good excuse to be gone for however long it took to be gone, so she left a note on the kitchen counter saying that she would be gone at an extracurricular activity that her teacher had given her. Sierra determined that as soon as her parents realized that she was not in fact completing an activity, she'd be long gone.

Dressed in the snow gear that she almost never wore because of her hatred of the cold, Sierra made her way out of the house. On her back was a back pack filled to the brim with hand warmers, a tent, several blankets, lots of food, and some more clothes. She wondered how she had even been able to pack all of that stuff into the backpack in the first place. Sierra made her way outside, huffing all the while.

She met Pitch but the tree outside. He had a dark sand umbrella above him to shield him from the sunlight.

"All ready I see." He said sarcasticly.

"I think I brought a little too much stuff." Sierra contemplated then shook it off. "So what am I looking for."

"An ice castle." The Nightmare King simply stated.

She blinked once or twice. "An ice castle? _An ice castle_. Am I looking for Elsa? Why don't you do, Mister High and Mighty?!"

"Because the person inside the castle will kill me without second thought. I don't think he would kill you so quickly." Pitch nodded.

"I'm deeply perturbed. Greatly and deeply perturbed. Should I be worried?"

"Absolutely not. Now," Pitch threw the snow globe off the smaller cliff side that the house was built on. "I will seldomly check on you, just to make sure you haven't been turned into a Popsicle. Otherwise, you're on your own."

"I feel so much better that you said that." Sierra rolled her eyes.

"Off you go. Shoo." Pitch waved the girl away.

Sierra marched up to the portal. "Y'know, on second thought," she said, turning around, "maybe I shouldn't do this."

Pitch rolled his eyes before turning the blonde girl around again. "Just, march up to the portal and jump right in. You can do it."

"Y'know, no. No, I can't do it." Sierra determined while shaking her head. She stared down into the bright, spinning portal.

Pitch had just about enough of this. He sighed before motioning for the black sand to push the girl off the edge. Sierra let out a shrill scream as she plummeted into the portal. She landed with a loud _thump_ and _oof_ on the fresh snow.

The portal closed above her and she was left to the icy cold tundra.

"That's the last time I ever trust the King of Nightmares." She grumbled while brushing the snow off her clothes. Shivering all the while, Sierra trekked across the snow, one foot after the other.

* * *

 ***begins chanting* I finally got a chapter done since last month. It's probably the shortest chapter ever, but it's chapter. *begins ugly sobbing* It took forever! And now amount of Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit could make me motivated. Not even my friend could motivate me! WHAT HAS MY LIFE TURNED INTO?!**

 **Anyway, it snowed where I live, and it's like, blizzardy snow. I feel like Sierra right now. But hey! I got a day off of school! O.O what if all the things that I've written about have come to pass?! What if** ** _I_** **need to go to Antartica?!**


	7. Chapter 6

The Darkness Within

 **Chapter 7**

 _by The Spring Soldier_

Jack Frost walked among the halls of his ice castle, his arms tucked behind his back. He sighed, pinching his nose.

Bellum she supposed to be here hours ago.

He had gathered the necessary things that Bellum had listed for the task she agreed to help with. Since Bellum was the daughter of the King of the Underworld, she assisted with bringing those who had died to either Paradise, or the World Below. The process was all too strange to Jack, and he could hardly care. The one thing that intruiged him about Bellum and her job was that it was possible to bring back someone from the dead. When he had heard this, he immediately inquired Bellum of the Task.

Bellum had answered with a list of four items: the source of life force that that person used, for Guardians always had an item they used for their lives; two random items that person owned; and a picture of said person. Jack had gathered everything without fail, setting them all in a certain room.

If this succeeded, then he could have Terra back.

That is, if Bellum would have actually HURRIED in getting to the castle, it would have been possible to do so.

"Sorry!" the girl's voice could be heard echoing down the hall. She skated up to Jack, running circles around him.

"What took you so long?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes at Bellum, who twirled her almost purplish-black hair around her log, slender finger.

"I had to feed Cerberus. Daddy doesn't like to deal with Cerberus when he's hungry. So I had to feed him. There was a herd of livestock that were just STRUGGLING to live. So I simply made their lives easy for them," Bellum shrugged as she continued to skate around the ice. "Granted, they're kind of dead, so..."

"Were you able to ask your dad about bringing the person I want to bring back?" Jack brought the subject back on track.

"Yep!" Bellum smiled cheekily.

Jack stopped walking after a beat of silence. He turned to Bellum, looking at her expectantly. "Well...?"

"Oh, he said he'd be willing to do it. Only because he hates how cold it is here. I think you know how much he likes warmth."

"Too bad for him."

Bellum pouted. "No need to be rude, Snow Queen. Now, you got everything I told you to get?"

"Yes."

"Looks like you're dedicated. You really liked this girl, didn't you?" Bellum rose an eyebrow at Jack, though he said and did nothing. He only clenched his jaw.

"Whatever. Where'd you put the stuff?"

Jack silently walked to one of the walls of the halls that he now stood in. He took his staff, slamming the pointed end into the ice below him. An ice block slid back, revealing a passage that was enveloped in blackness. "This way."

He walked ahead, the sheer darkness surrounding him. He didn't seem to be bothered by it, and continued to walk ahead. Bellum followed a little ways until the both of them stood in a large cavity of a room.

The room was dimly lit by lamps of glowing crystal. The items sat in the center of the otherwise empty room.

Bellum smirked. "Your capability of completing a task is pretty impressive."

"Can you just get along with it?" Jack snapped.

Bellum sighed rather loudly. "FINE." She began to arrange the items in a triangle. The broken staff sat in the midst of the triangle of two items, with the main point being the picture. "When I summon Mother Nature back into the land of the living, a huge hole is going to be in the floor. She'll be dangling off the edge because she hasn't fully been accepted into Paradise, since she is—or was—a Guardian. You're going to have to pull her out of that expanse. It's going to be hard, I'm not going to lie, and I can only keep the expanse open for a little while, so you'll have to work fast. She'll be glowing like a light, because it's her soul portion. It'll only take a little while until she fully returns back, with both her vessel and spirit."

"Wouldn't we have to be in the Warren for this to work, since that was where she was buried?" Jack asked, looking warily at Bellum.

"No. A person's soul and body can merge if they're a whole world away."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've done this before. A lot of times. It's the only way to see my mom..." Bellum answered, her whole attitude taking on a whole new persona. She clenched her jaw and sighed. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Bellum took a stance, holding out her arms. A grey smoke enveloped the items for but a moment. Bellum grunted, making a tearing open motion with her hands. A crevice of darkness was created in the floor. Terra could be seen dangling from the crevice into the black abyss. She held onto the edge because her life depended on it.

Jack looked at Terra with wide eyes. Even with her pained expression, and dirtied clothes and face, she still looked absolutely beautiful. Jack dropped to his knees as Terra winced, trying to pull herself back up.

Terra acted like she had noticed somebody kneel next to her. She looked up, her eyes widening as well as she saw the Winter Spirit. "...Jack...?"

"Yeah, Terra. It's me," Jack replied.

"You're gonna have to save the romantics for later, Snow Queen!" Bellum grunted the reply. "I can't keep this open for much longer!"

Jack nodded curtly, scooping up Terra as he tried to pull her from the abyss. It was like he was trying to pull along his ice dragon as he tried to save Terra. He wasn't going to give up, though. He continued to fight against whatever was keeping her dangling in the abyss. Jack finally succeeded, holding Terra close as he backed away from the crevice in the middle of the room.

Terra did nothing as she stood next to Jack, her head cradled on his chest. She still glowed brightly, though she was unmoving, the only sign of her being alive being the rise and fall as she breathed.

Jack felt like a gigantic weight was off his shoulders. Terra was back. There was absolutely no way he would ever lose her ever again. He was relieved, but at the same time, he was more happy than he could ever be.

That is, he felt like that until Terra started to fade.

"Bellum!" Jack barked, the sense of hopelessness and fear overwhelming his tone.

"Something is wanting her to stay there! I think it's the fact that no one believes in her anymore!" Bellum said as she struggled to keep the crevice open.

"I believe in her! Shouldn't that make the difference?!"

"You're a Guardian! The rules are different!" Bellum said before collapsing and falling to her knees. She heaved heavily, sweat droplets pouring down her face. She looked over to Jack, who stared at the ice below him like it had been the one to keep Terra from escaping. He wordlessly walked from the room, his footfalls creating cracks in the floor.

Bellum ground her teeth as she walked Jack walk away. She sighed, using the last of her strength to teleport herself from the room.

The two spirits had seen the plan fail.

What the two spirits hadn't seen was the runes in the staff softly glowing a soft purple as they gravitated towards each other. As each piece of the broken staff had gathered with each other, the faint outline of Mother Nature could be seen, sitting against the wall.

She completely materialized, still sitting against the wall. For now, she was asleep. It was only a matter of hours before she would wake up once more.

 **Wow, has it really been since March when I updated? Good lord... I truly am sorry for such the space between updates. It's so hard to realize that I've gone from having only three stories (when I last updated), to having, like at least ten. I really wanted to update this one, though, because it's been so long. Once again, I really apologize! Maybe this made up for it?**


End file.
